Few come within the compass of my curse
Wherein I did not some notorious ill
As kill a man, or else devise his death
Ravish a maid, or plot the way to do it
Accuse some innocent, and forswear myself
Set deadly enmity between two friends
Make poor men’s cattle break their necks
Set fire on barns and hay-stacks in the night
And bid the owners quench them with their tears
Oft have I digg’d up dead men from their graves
And set them upright at their dear friends’ doors
Even when their sorrows almost were forgot
And on their skins, as on the bark of trees
Have with my knife carved in Roman letters
‘Let not your sorrow die, though I am dead
Tut! I have done a thousand dreadful things
As willingly as one would kill a fly
And nothing grieves me heartily indeed
But that I cannot do ten thousand more Titus Andronicus – Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ
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This extract from Titus Andronicus by Shakespear (yes, the band is named after said play). It is regarded as a classic, and as Shakespear’s most violent play.
The speech is delivered by Aaron the Moor, a prisoner that Emperor Titus took after waging war on his people, the Goths.
What the fuck were they for anyway? Titus Andronicus (Ft. Dan McGee) – Theme from "Cheers"
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Why was I dreaming of something else, when it was obvious from the start that I would get nowhere?
Notice that this line sounds as if the narrator’s toasting to his dead dreams, drinking again.
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Kinda weird to imagine this guy:
Turning into this guy:
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A mass is a weekly gathering of Christians to pray. It is usually celebrated in a church.
In this case however, it seems that Patrick and his friends celebrate a Hangover Mass, as in, a weekly drunken party. It could be considered a Mass because they do it religiously, not missing a single weekend.
Notice the relation between the wine served at mass and the beer at their parties.
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Classic scenario: You’re too wasted to walk so you hold yourself up against a lamp post and throw up.
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The narrator’s gonna be drinking with his friends, just like every weekend. Maybe a hint at alcoholism.
Given also that Patrick’s been known to drink heavily.
Quiet hands, quiet kiss on the mouth Sufjan Stevens – John Wayne Gacy Jr.
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This tear-jerker of a lyric represents the state of the victim: terrified, alone and with no chance of escape.
Very poetic, and simultaneously creepy, this line displays John Wayne Gacy as gentle on his victims, as if, to his eyes, they were little things that could easily be broken.
Gacy committed many of his murders by placing “cloth on the lips” of his victims: some were rendered unconscious by inhaling chloroform from rags held to their faces, and others died by asphyxiation when Gacy shoved rags down their throats.
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Gacy seduced several of his victims prior to committing the crimes of rape, assault, kidnapping and so on.
The darkness of the room implies the secrecy of these acts, how Gacy would hide his homosexuality away from the eyes of his family and neighbours.
Find the few living things, rotting fast, in their sleep
Oh, the dead Sufjan Stevens – John Wayne Gacy Jr.
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This line works in two ways:
John Wayne kept some of the bodies in the basement of his house for a while, and then begun burrying them in the garden. The bodies would be rotting, of course.
The dead are not just the boys, but their lives and dreams and their futures. All of those things died and rotted away because of John.
Darrell Sampson and Gregory Godzik. Both dead at 18.
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A call-back to the singer’s past, possibly, his childhood, which seemed uncomplicated and pleasant.
And winter didn’t feel so cold
And I had a smile for everyone I know
I was starting to get comfortable in the place that I’m in
109
When things go well in a person’s life, as it did for Stickles and his band, it can be easier to move past your issues for a while.